Make Your Farm Virtual

Create an online business card for your operation

Connect with landlords. Share the story of production agriculture. Inform non-farming family members about what’s happening on the farm. These are all reasons to create a website or blog for your farm. Blogs are usually about personal information, but as farmers we know that business is personal, says Judi Graff, Illinois farmer and author of several farm websites and blogs. "Think of your blog or website as a brochure for potential business associates," she says.

On her blog, she includes everything from daily happenings on the farm to the methods behind livestock and crop production. "I have come to realize how worthwhile my websites are to the agriculture industry, my farm and for generations to come," she says.

Iowa farmer and rancher Crystal Blin agrees. Blin runs a farm website, as well as a blog that advocates for agriculture. "We’ve let other people tell agriculture’s story for too long. We can be sharing our lives, as it happens, with consumers," she says. Below, these two online experts provide tips on how to make your site top-notch.